NASCAR tells Marcos Ambrose he's in the Daytona 500; Brad Keselowski must qualify
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – JTG Daugherty Racing’s Marcos Ambrose will have a guaranteed spot in the Daytona 500 and the next four NASCAR Sprint Cup races, but Phoenix Racing’s Brad Kesolowski will have to race his way into the events, Ambrose and Keselowski said Thursday morning.
Sanctioning body officials decided that allowing the transfer of a car number for a rookie to run a fifth car wasn’t the intent of the points-transfer rules and won’t allow a transfer of Chip Ganassi Racing points from last season to Phoenix Racing’s Keselowski. The move will lock Ambrose into the season’s opening five events.
Ambrose was told of the situation Thursday morning, and when the haulers entered the track, Ambrose and that of Richard Childress Racing’s Clint Bowyer were among the top 35 while Keselowski was not.
“It is with caution that I say that it looks like we are in the 500,” Ambrose said Thursday. “NASCAR spoke to us this morning and yesterday. If nothing changes, we’re going to be lining up for the 500, which is a huge relief.”
NASCAR doesn’t allow teams to sell points outright but generally approves transfers to other teams as long as the original owner has a minimal ownership stake.
Keselowski was expected to get the points from the No. 41 car (33rd in owner points last year) as part of a deal that would allow him to be a fifth Earnhardt Ganassi Racing car under the four-car cap provision that allows for an additional car for a driver preparing for a full-time ride in the future. But NASCAR officials indicated they have ruled that the points-transfer rules were not designed to give a team a fifth car for a rookie.
“I’ll be honest – I don’t understand how I got in; I don’t understand how I’m out,” Keselowski said Thursday. “I’m back to where I was a week ago, focused on what dong what we can with the assumption that I will have to race my way into the 500.”
Ambrose was 36th in car owner points and thought he would be locked in over the winter until the last couple of weeks when three car owners who had top-35 points but no plans to run this year began making deals with other teams outside the top 35.
John Andretti will get the No. 15 points from Dale Earnhardt Inc. as part of a deal with the new Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Bowyer appears set to get the No. 01 points that DEI had last year.
But no one will end up with the No. 41 points, allowing Ambrose in the field.
“Someone is looking out for me – I’m not sure who it is, but they’re doing a good job,” Ambrose said. “In a situation like this, as far as I’m concerned, is completely out of my hands. Either way the decision was going to go or will go doesn’t change who I am and how I go about my racing.
“I’ve always said I feel lucky to be in NASCAR, and no matter what decision was made – on the race track or off of it – I was just going to roll with it. It’s a privilege to be here.”
Ambrose said the car is set up as if he needed to qualify or race his way in the 500. Qualifying is Sunday, with the 150-mile duel qualifying races Thursday. Qualifying speeds and positions in the duels will determine the eight final spots in the Daytona 500.
“The last three or four days have been a bit of a panic,” Ambrose said. “We were going to use the duels as really a chance to grow into the car. I haven’t driven a [car of tomorrow] on a superspeedway. I’ve only had a couple of starts here at Daytona anyway.
“I was going to use the duels to just get into the groove and get confident and comfortable behind the wheel and find some good drafting partners and let them know that I’m not an idiot out there and I’m going to work with people if they want to. … Three or four days ago, when it looked like it might be swinging against us, we started really refocusing on trying to get a qualifying car. Right now, it’s a quite aggressive qualifying car, and we’ll see how it plays out over the next few days.”
Keselowski said his team was prepared until a week ago that it was going to have to qualify.
“I don’t think they really changed much in that process,” said Keselowski, who will drive nine or 10 races for Phoenix Racing and seven for Hendrick this year. “I don’t think it was drastic turnaround, but I’m sure there are some things [we’ll need to change].”
Ambrose isn’t totally convinced that he’s in the race and won’t know until qualifying Sunday.
“It is with caution that I say that it looks like we may be in the 500,” Ambrose said. “Until we line up and everything is really formally said, it’s NASCAR. Things change.”
Keselowski said he was willing to accept the decision, whichever way it went.
“It was going to be a huge relief to be locked in, but it is what it is,” Keselowski said. “I’m trying to adapt to it, trying to work around it. I feel like I have a good car. Now is the year to be in this situation if there is a year, so it will be interesting to see.”
